Man and woman from ND dead, deputy shot and wounded in west-central Minnesota

ALEXANDRIA, Minn. — Two North Dakota residents accused of shooting a Minnesota sheriff's deputy have been found dead, authorities said Tuesday.

The Douglas County deputy, who is now recovering at home, was wearing a bullet-resistant vest when he was shot in the chest while answering a call about a suspicious vehicle in a driveway Monday night near Alexandria, in west-central Minnesota.

Authorities said one of two people in the vehicle shot the deputy in the chest. When the deputy returned fire, the suspects — a 29-year-old woman and a 24-year-old man — fled. They tried to escape in a small car but got stuck in the snow, then ran away and fired more shots, according to the sheriff's office.

A Minnesota State Patrol helicopter used an infrared imaging device to locate the suspects in the woods about 200 yards from their car. Deputies approached the pair but found both of them dead. Two firearms were recovered, authorities said.

Autopsies will be conducted on the man and woman, whose names haven't been released.

The deputy, whose name also hasn't been released, has been with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office for three years and has previous law enforcement experience. He was treated at a hospital and released, and is now on standard administrative leave.